Just Like Heaven
by roslyn89
Summary: Gina Seward is one of the WWE's most dominating female wrestlers, alongside her two best friends Trish Stratus and Lita. What happens when her much needed time off turns into an all out family affair with her brother's band, Avenged Sevenfold.
1. Chapter 01: I Want It, I Need It

Chapter 1- I want it, I need it

*Gina's POV*

As I sat on a chair in the middle of the airport, I couldn't help but stare out at the busy scene of people all around me. Everyone seemed to have someplace important to be. There was the man in the business suit, or the family running towards their gate, dragging their entire luggage with them. Then there were the people like me, who sat and watched the other people running around, while waiting patiently for their flight to be called.

I sat contently on one of those stiff orange chairs drinking my coffee, playing with the small neon pink beads that were hanging from my purse when I heard the announcement over the speakers: _Flight 732 to Orange County, California is now boarding._ I slowly got up from my chair, throwing out the remains of my coffee and made my way to the gate, handing the happy go lucky stewardess my ticket in the process. I quietly made my way down the isle of the plane until I found my seat, and slumped down next to the window.

I still couldn't believe what I was doing; although it was something that I knew had to be done I still didn't want to go through with it. Before I could actually get myself comfortable in the seat, I felt my cell phone vibrating from my purse. I quickly flipped it open and saw a text message from my brother: _Be strong =] Johnny._ I smiled, knowing my brother and friends were being so supportive and wiped a few stray tears from my cheeks. I got comfortable in the seat, and pulled out my i-pod, slowly letting the sounds of Matt's voice over a shrilling guitar overcome me, as I remembered it all. I could remember everything, and I couldn't stop it as all the events played over again in my mind like an old black and white film.


	2. Chapter 02: Sidewinder

Chapter 2- Sidewinder

Saturday night was my wind down time, especially after a week of traveling and performing all I wanted to do on my Saturday night was curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry's and watch some TV. That's exactly what I was doing when my best friend Valary called me.

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey, it's Val."_ I heard my best friend squeak over the other end of the phone.

"_Hey, what's goin' on?"_

"_Nothing really, the guys are back from tour and your brothers throwing a massive party at his place tonight."_

"_Oh, sounds fun." _

"_You sound exhausted Gina; did you guys have a show tonight?"_

"_No," _I answered taking another scoop of my ice cream. "_I'm home, watching a movie on TV."_

I heard some rustling around in the background and then the familiar sounds of the phone switching hands.

"_Gina, it's Matt."_

"_Hey Matty, what's kicken?"_

"_You're coming with us tonight, so be ready by seven thirty."_

"_Dude, why drag me to this party, I don't know anyone but you, Val and Johnny and that's not cool."_

"_The rest of the guys are dying to meet you, so be ready, you have no choice."_ And then the line went dead.

Typical Matt, always giving me an ultimatum, or making up my mind for me, but I always complied none the less because we all knew Matt was a softy. I stole a quick glance at the clock over the TV and noticed that it was already six fifteen. I reluctantly got off the couch and put my ice cream away and made my way upstairs to take a shower and get ready for this gala event that I would reluctantly be attending, at the hands of my brother I was sure. But before I could do that, being the girl that I am, I had to figure out what to wear so I sent a quick text to Val before hopping in the shower.

When I emerged from the shower, I took the time to straighten my violet hair and apply some black eyeliner and mascara. By the time I had gotten into my bedroom I had a new message from Val: _The usual hot stuff you wear will do =]. _I shook my head before replying; _Thanx Matt._

I opened my closet and grabbed a pair of low rise light denim jeans that my mother insists are two sizes too small for me, and put them on. I grabbed a neon green tank top from one of my draws and then put a black fishnet top on over it that stopped just under my boobs. I slipped on a pair of black Adio sneakers and grabbed my black hobo bag from my bed and made my way downstairs to wait for my lovely friends.

I was just about to sit on the couch when I heard the front door open, and voices fill the hallway.

"Oh great, your robbing me too." I said sarcastically as Val and Matt entered the room, with someone else from the band, which I had briefly been introduced to as Zacky.

"Because I want all those hot clothes you have." Matt said, sending a wink in my direction.

"Yes of course," I said smiling. "Next time I text Val, make sure she answers."

"You're busted now Shads!" Zacky said laughing.

"Whatever, let's just go; Johnny's going to spit Frisbees' if were not there by eight."

I simply nodded, knowing the typical antics of my brother, as everyone made their way out of my house, and I locked the door behind us.

We all got into Matt's black Ford Explorer, and I wound up sitting in the back with Zacky, while Val and Matt occupied the two front seats.

"So when are you going back on the road Gina?"

"Umm, they actually gave me some time off so not for a while." I answered smiling.

"Well you seem happy about it," Val said. "How long did they give you?"

"They gave me six months and full pay for it because I faked a knee injury last Monday night."

"You faked an injury?" Zacky asked shocked. "What exactly do you do for a living?"

"I'm a professional wrestler for the WWE."

"Don't you mean the WWF?" He asked emitting a small chuckle.

"No, it's the World Wrestling Entertainment, I work for Vince McMahon."

"That's flippin' sweet though that they gave you six months and full pay!" Matt said, quickly glancing in the rear view mirror to look at me.

"Well, I'm one of the best female's they have so he had better pay me!" I said laughing.

Not soon after we had left my house, we arrived at Johnny's. The house didn't even look like he was expecting a party, or that there was a party going on there. We all hopped out of the car, and made our way to the front doors of the house, and I watched as Matt let himself in, quite similar to what he did at my house.

"Do you just walk into everybody's house?" I asked him, laughing along with Val and Zacky.

"Only people I know." He said, shaking his head in my direction.

I only laughed as I made my way into the kitchen of the house where two other guys were gathered with my brother.

"Yo, do you let Shad's walk into your house uninvited all the time?" I asked Johnny, finally making my presence in the house known.

"Hey, you came!" He exclaimed, scooping me up in a bone crushing hug.

"Ugh, John, stop crushing me."

The room erupted into laughter, as Val, Matt and Zacky joined the others at the kitchen table.

"So, how long will you be gracing us with your presence?" Johnny asked.

"Six months, they gave me time off and I'm getting paid so I make no complaints," I smiled looking around the room. "So, are you going to introduce me or what, cause my telepathy is a little off today."

"The tall bozo looking dude is Jimmy Sullivan," He said referring to the tall guy that was now occupying the space next to Zacky. "And this fellow over here is Brian Haner."

Both Jimmy and Brian gave me a small hug and then Johnny continued to talk to the room of people.

"This is my lovely older sister, Gina, who you have all be going ape shit over meeting!"

Jimmy laughed, and I had kind of gathered that he was the comical relief of the group, even though they all seemed equally as funny. I couldn't quite put a tag on Brian though, because he hadn't said much throughout the time I had been here, and I wasn't sure if he was depressed or just a shy kind of person.

By the time eight fifteen rolled around, the party was in full swing, and the house was packed full of people and roaring with loud music. I felt so out of place so I stuck with Val most of the time, while Matt was off mingling with the random people that were at the house.

"So, what's up with that Brian character?" I asked suddenly, taking a sip of my corona.

"What do you mean what's up with him?"

"I mean, he seems quiet compared to all the other guys, almost like he's super shy or something." I said shrugging.

"He's usually really outgoing, but he's just been in this slump lately, because he doesn't have anyone special in his life." She said frowning, while looking over to Brian.

My gaze followed hers as I found him sitting at the counter in the kitchen staring down the empty beer bottle that was in his hands.

"Why don't you go talk to him, I think you two would really hit it off." She said over the loud music.

"Is that why I'm here Val, so that you guys can set me up with one of Matt's band mates?"

"No, it's not why you're here, but we always did think that you and Brian would get along well, so why don't you talk to him; besides I saw you eying him up in the kitchen before."

I couldn't very well turn back now, Val had caught me staring at him when I first got here, and denying it would only make things worse for me in the long run.

"Ok fine, I'll go talk to him." Val's only response was a smile sent in my direction as I made my way into the kitchen towards Brian.

The only sound I made while taking the trip to the kitchen was the sound of my sneakers against the wood floor. I grabbed two more beers on my way towards the counter, and carefully sat down next to Brian.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey," he responded, giving me a once over. "What's up?"

"I don't know, I could ask you the same thing." I smiled, handing him one of the beers.

"Thanks," He smiled, popping the top off of his and then mine. "So how come your not with Val or Zacky?"

"No reason, you just looked kind of sad so I thought you might want another beer, maybe some company."

"Beer and some company yes," He laughed. "But sad, I'm not really sure. To be quite honest I'm not sure what I've been feeling the past few weeks."

"Well, that certainly narrows it down," I chuckled. "Anything in particular bugging ya?"

"Yep, and I think it's the fact that my best friend has someone so special and I have nothing; zip, zero, nada."

"Matt and Val I'm guessing?"

"Right on," He clanked the top of his bottle against mine and took a long sip before finally setting it down on the kitchen counter. "So what about you, someone as gorgeous as you has got to be taken."

"Sadly I am not, I travel too much and I guess I don't have time to keep up with much of anything besides work," I said, taking a swig of my beer. "I sound so much like my brother it's not even funny."

"Oh, what do you do besides be Johnny's little sister?"

"I work for the WWE, I'm one of Vince McMahon's finest," I said taking a long sip of my beer this time. "And I'm older than Johnny by two years; I lived with my mom while he lived in Huntington with dad."

"You're a wrestler I take it?" Brian added, nodding.

"Yes sir," I said smiling. "I guess it's like the same kind of passion you have for making music, I have for putting myself on the line night after night for other people's entertainment."

"So basically you enjoy hurting yourself?"

"Oh no, not that," I laughed. "I love the reaction I get when I walk down the ramp and there are Gina signs everywhere and people are cheering my name."

"I get that a lot," He said smiling. "So, are you doing a show here, or you just visiting?"

"I live in Orange now, I grew up with Val before my parents divorced, and I'm actually home for six months on paid vacation so I'm pretty happy about that."

"That's freaking awesome, paid vacation I wish I got shit like that!"

"You do, it's called album royalties." I said with a slight chuckle.

"Touché."

I only laughed as he took another sip of his beer and left the empty bottle on the counter.

"So you're home for six months now?"

"Yea, six whole months of doing nothing but relaxing."

"Well now I have an excuse to get your number."

"Why's that?" I smiled.

"So I can hang out with you while you're home."

He sat grinning at me like the cat that ate the canary and I couldn't help but smile back. He had the warmest smile, and the most inviting green eyes I had ever seen in my entire life. He looked like he could be tattooed from head to toe, but I didn't mind, ink was something I enjoyed too.

In that moment, I didn't want to be around the noise of the party, or the music and smoke; I just wanted to be someplace quiet with Brian, and talk to him some more.

"Hey, you wanna get out of here; go someplace quiet?" I asked suddenly.

"Yea, what'd you have in mind?"

"I'm not all that sure, but let's just go." I smiled.

"Sure, c'mon lets blow this popsicle stand." He chuckled.

I stood and he grabbed my hand, helping me off the stool I was previously occupying and leading me through the crowd of people in Johnny's living room. On the way out we passed Val and Matt talking to Zacky near the "bar" area.

"Hey you two what's going on?"

"We're going to head out," I said grabbing my bag from behind the 'bar.' "I'll call you in the morning."

"Wait, where are you two going, you don't have a car Gina." Matt said suddenly.

"It's cool Shads," Brian said. "I got mine, so I'll take her home, and walk her to the door and all that good stuff." Brian smiled down at me, and tightened his grip on my hand.

"Are you sure Gina?" Val asked.

"Yes I'm sure, and if he's a real gentleman I may even invite him inside." I said winking up at Brian.

Val gave me a hug goodbye, and whispered in my ear before I had a chance to pull away.

"I was right." She stated.

"I'll call you in the morning," I laughed waving goodbye. "Tell my brother thanks for the booze and I'll call him tomorrow."

Brian and I weaved our way through the sea of people and soon made it outside to his car. As he opened the door for me, I saw a glimmer of happiness in his eyes, and even if I didn't realize it, my life was changing significantly right before my eyes.


	3. Chapter 03: Crush Crush Crush

Chapter 3- Crush,crush,crush

*Gina's POV*

It was early on a Friday morning, Johnny's party had been two weeks ago and in those two weeks I had spent a significant amount of time with Brian. I was lying quietly in my room when I heard the sound of my cell phone going off on the dresser. I jumped up to answer it, and flipped it open to see a text message from Val: i_It's early and Matt's already up and on the phone with Brian who's been gushing about you for the past hour._/i I laughed quietly to myself and quickly began to respond back: i_Has he now? Well at least he's gushing to Matty and not my brother lol._/i

I quickly closed the phone and decided it was time to make my way downstairs. I quickly threw my hair into a ponytail, grabbed the phone from the dresser and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. When I entered the kitchen there were two guys sitting at the table reading the paper, and having breakfast.

"Holy shit!" I shouted, dropping the phone on the tile floor.

The two guys at the table stopped what they were doing and I immediately saw my brother and Zacky doubled over in laughter at the notion of successfully scaring me at eight thirty in the morning.

"How did you get in my house?" I asked Johnny, casually slapping him upside the head on my way to the fridge.

"Ouch! And I used the spare key that you gave me, for when you go away." He retorted taking a bite of his toast.

"Fair enough, but who said you two losers could eat my food?"

Zacky only laughed, bits and pieces of toast flying every which way as they left his mouth, as he looked at Johnny who was laughing just as much.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked stealing a piece of Zacky's toast.

"Johnny hit the nail right on the head," He said, his laughter slowly dying down. "He said you would come down and freak out, and then ask why we are eating your food!"

"Yea well he's got one thing going for him then." I smiled, sitting down with them, my coffee clutched tightly in my hands.

The room was silent for a while, only the sound of Johnny and Zacky's chewing and my occasional sipping of coffee could be heard. It was peaceful, and only because my brother hadn't begun to ask me a million questions, and I'm sure that one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine would pertain to why I was spending so much time with Brian. The millionth would probably be along the lines of "hey do you have any more food," which I was prepared to answer.

"So, what's the deal with you and Brian?" He asked suddenly, not catching me off guard for a second.

"There is no deal, just been hanging out." I answered, shooting my over-protective younger brother a sideways glance.

"So he's like your best friend now?"

"No, Johnny he's not my best friend now, I have a ton of close friends and Brian happens to be part of that tight knit circle as is the rest of your band," I replied getting up from the table. "And if I remember correctly I'm older than you so chill out just a little bit, ok?"

He looked at me for a few minutes, and then turned his attention to Zacky, as if he was looking for an answer from the other man.

"Don't look at me," Zacky said, taking a sip of his coffee. "This is between the two of you."

"Fine, I'm sorry Gina you're right."

"Johnny, its ok." I said, occupying my spot at the table once again. "But do you like him?" He asked suddenly, falling right back into the pattern of moments ago.

"Jesus Christ Johnny!"

"Actually it's Johnny Christ," He said laughing. "Nice try though!"

"Oh shut up, you know what I mean smart ass!"

He only grinned as I shot him a look, and then he instantly returned to the toast on the plate in front of him. The kitchen was silent for a while longer, the three of us peacefully eating our breakfast and taking turns reading the paper when my front door burst open and I heard shouting coming from the foyer.

"Gina are you home?"

"No Val I'm not!" I shouted back, dripping with sarcasm.

"Funny," she mocked as she entered the kitchen and saw Johnny and Zacky having breakfast with me. "Nice of you to invite me."

"Oh there was no inviting, they invited themselves and thought it would be funny to use the spare key."

"Typical," she shook her head then returned her attention to me. "I need to talk to you pronto little missy."

"About what, and it better be important at this hour."

"It's almost nine thirty, and yes it's very important."

I let out a long sigh as I got up and followed Val out of the kitchen and into the family room, or as my brother calls it, the trophy room.

"You have my full attention so get on with it."

"Brianwantstoaskyouout!" She all but shouted in one breath.

"What? And slow down this time and say it in English please."  
"I overheard Brian and Matt on the phone this morning and I heard him say that he wants to ask you out, he hasn't been able to get you off his mind since the party."

My mouth fell slightly open, and if this were a cartoon my eyes would pop out of my head and my tongue would roll out onto the carpet. I honestly couldn't believe that Brian had taken that much of an interest in me that he wanted to ask me out! Granted I had taken an equal, if not greater interest in him but I certainly had not expected things to move this fast.

"Gina, come back to earth, please!"

"What? Oh right you were saying?"

"Brian wants to ask you out! Were you paying the least bit attention to me or did you zone out?"

"I think I zoned out for a second," I responded rubbing my eyes a bit. "Val don't you think he's moving fast?"

"You two have known each other for two weeks; this is the usual for stuff like this."

"How long did you know Matt before he asked you out?"

"Um I think it was something like three or four days." She laughed.

"Val I haven't dated in what seems like forever, I'm always on the road and I don't have time for this kind of stuff, I feel like I'm back in middle school."

"So does he." Came Matt's voice from the doorway of the room.

He made his way in and greeted me and Val with a hug each, and then made himself comfortable on the couch.

"How long have you been standing there Matt?"

"Only long enough to hear how scared you are, and believe me when I tell you that Brian is bugging out."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Val laughed. "The last person he dated was that crackpot Olivia; Gina should be a walk in the park if not easier."

"Yeah, well Brian seems to think that because she's Johnny's sister things are going to be way more complicated."

"Right," I agreed. "Because we all know my brother has a tendency to mess around in my personal life."

It's true, I swear; Johnny just has a knack for budding into my problems where he just doesn't belong. Call it being a sibling, or the fact that he's my brother; call it whatever you want but I call it a pain in the ass!

"Gina, have you listened to one word Matt's been saying?!" Val asked, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Um, I think I spaced out for a second."

"I think you spaced out for a minute!" Matt laughed. "I was saying that Brian wants to come over today, and I think it would be a good idea to take your pajama clad butt upstairs to put clothes on."

I looked down and noticed that Matt was indeed right, I was still wearing my pajamas, and I probably looked like a huge mess.

Nodding I made my way out of the family room and upstairs to take a shower and get ready for whatever events this particular day had in store for me.

On my way up the stairs I heard Val talking to Matt, and the only thing I gathered from their conversation was that she truthfully knew I was falling for Brian as much as he was falling for me.

Once I was upstairs in the safety of my own room, I quickly began pulling clothes out of my closet, searching for the perfect outfit to wear. I finally settled on a pair of faded jeans and one of my old wrestling shirts that were black and had random neon colored fishnets hanging from around the shoulders and midsection.

Satisfied with what I had chosen, I grabbed some underwear and a bra and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. I decided that I would let my long red hair go in its natural waves, and just add some gel to keep it from frizzing. I applied some eyeliner and mascara before heading into the room to get dressed. Satisfied with the way I looked, I slipped on my hot pink chuck taylors and put on a few silver bracelet's and a pair of small silver hoop earrings. With one last glance in the mirror I made my way out of the room and downstairs, just in time to see my brother crash down on the couch with a beer in his hand, and Val open the door and let Brian and Jimmy in. Oh, this was going to be a long day, I could feel it.


	4. Chapter 04: Who's That Girl?

Chapter 4- Who's That Girl?

*Gina's POV*

From where I stood on the stairs I knew that today was going to be full of surprises and whatnot. Besides the fact that my brother was already looking to get drunk at 10:30 in the morning, Brian was now situated in my living room, talking to Matt about what I could only guess as the current situation at hand.

"Johnny!" I scolded, as I stood at the top of the stairs. "Dump that beer in the sink, now!"

He looked up at me innocently and I only stood there and pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

"You're a kill joy, you know that?"

"Nope never heard such a thing," I laughed. "And don't give me that 'it's twelve o'clock somewhere' bullshit cause its 10:30 here."

"Yes mom," He mimicked. "Actually I think you're worse than mom."

I didn't say anything, but continued my venture into the living room where everyone was gathered, Brian included.

"Hey Gina!" Jimmy yelled from across the room, where I noticed him rummaging through my CD collection.

"Hi Jimmy."

I sat on the couch next to Val, and she immediately looked at me funny, and then proceeded to whisper in my ear.

"Why aren't you sitting on the other couch next to Brian?!"

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "Sit next to him, oh maybe casually slide my hand up his thigh and then ask him how he really feels about me?!"

"Minus the hand on thigh thing, yes that sounds like a very good and productive thing to do."

"Oh you're just too much, did you know that?"

"Matt tells me that when we're just about to-"

"VALARY!" I shouted, slapping my hand over her mouth in the process and earning a laugh from everyone in the room, except her and Matt.

The day progressed on very much like that, witty comments from both Val and Matt about me and Brian, and my brother asking when he could finally have a beer.

"Jesus Gina, just lemme have a freakin beer!" He shouted, flailing his arms about in every direction.

"No," I laughed. "Not yet."

"It's almost 5 o'clock, why not?"

"For one, I don't want you drunk in my house, and two it's so funny to watch you squirm like a little two year old."

He glared at me and stormed off into the kitchen, and emerged seconds later with a can of Keystone in his hands and a smug look on his face.

"Don't try and stop me." He laughed.

"I learned my lesson the last time," I chuckled. "My 24 year old brother turns into a two year old."

After I got no response from Johnny, I figured it best to figure out something else to around the house.

"Is anyone hungry?"

I received a chorus of responses, letting me know that the house full of people was starving and that some form of food was needed.

"I'll make something, is everyone cool with pasta?"

"That's fine, these guys eat anything," Val teased, poking Matt in the stomach. "Trust me."

I only nodded and got up off the couch and made my way into the kitchen to start some dinner.

I was starting to get things together, and opened a cabinet to look for a pot. The only one big enough was on the top shelf and being a Seward I wasn't exactly blessed in the height department. After many failed attempts of jumping up and down, I decided the only way I was gonna accomplish anything was to get on a chair and climb up on the counter. I was just about to steady myself on the chair, when I heard someone come into the kitchen and start laughing. I turned around and saw Brian standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall laughing slightly.

"Uh hi," I said awkwardly. I probably looked like a huge fool, and in front of him no less.

"Get off that chair and let me help you."

He smiled at me and helped me off the chair, before sticking his arm in to the cabinet and pulling out the pot that I couldn't reach before.

"Thanks," I smiled. "I wasn't exactly blessed with height."

"Ah yes the Seward curse, that's what your brother calls it."

"My brother's the world's biggest moron," I laughed. "Sometimes the things he does and the shit I hear come out of his mouth make me wonder how the hell I'm related to him."

Brian only laughed as he helped me get everything ready for dinner. I was actually surprised that I wasn't faltering around him. He was a great guy and well, not to say that I was a complete loser or anything, but I just couldn't really comprehend how he was so interested in me.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

I currently had my head stuck in the refrigerator pulling out garlic, and thank God my face wasn't visible because my eyes turned the size of saucers!

"Sure," I said, once I was situated out of the fridge. "Shoot."

"Well, ok I'll be honest I'm really no good at stuff like this, but I'm gonna try my best so bear with me."

"Brian, just say it, I'm not gonna laugh or anything; trust me."

"Alright, well I've been having such a great time just hanging around with you for the past two weeks and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out sometime, maybe take whatever it is we have beyond your living room or my basement."

I looked at Brian, whose gaze seemed to have averted from my face to the tiles on the floor. He was wringing his hands together nervously and it was actually kind of cute.

"Hey, look at me," I gently lifted his chin up with my index finger and thumb, and finally met his gaze. "Why are you so nervous?"

"You're Johnny's sister and I really don't wanna screw anything up, ya know?"

"Yea, well nothing's gonna get messed up; I promise."

With that being said I pressed a small kiss to his lips before pulling away and watching his eyes light up. God, he was something spectacular to look at.

"So that's a yes then?"

"I'm pretty sure that's more than a yes," I smiled. "Actually, I'm positive that's more than a yes!"

"Well, then I don't know what else to say."

"Then forget the words, forget everything your heads telling you to do and just go with what you feel."

He just nodded and dipped his head down to meet mine, and then leaned forward so our lips were mere centimeters apart.

"I feel this." He whispered, and with nothing else said our lips met for the second time that night, only this time a kiss more searing that the first. I could definitely get used to this!


	5. Chapter 05: The Sky Is The Limit

Chapter 5- Sky's The Limit

*Gina's POV*

I could definitely get used to having Brian around all the time. Basically ever since the night in my kitchen the two of us have been inseparable. I can't say that Johnny is extremely thrilled about the situation, but he really has no say in this so he's eventually gonna have to get over it, or learn to deal.

It was pretty early, and I hadn't intended on getting up this early but I had to pee, and when I went to get out of bed I was restricted by a pair of arms around my waist, and something heavy on my feet. I looked around and noticed that I had fallen asleep on Brian's living room floor and Zacky was using my legs as a pillow; how convenient.

"Ugh, Zack move!" I said as loudly as I could.

He only stirred and held onto my leg tighter, like I was his friggin teddy bear or something.

"Zacky!" I hissed. "Move your chubby ass!"

"Hmm, that was mean babe."

I turned around and Brian was now awake, looking at me with an amused grin on his face. He still looked half asleep, like he would pass back out any second.

"I have to pee in the worst way and Zacky thinks my leg is a god damn stuffed animal!"

Brian only laughed and untangled himself from me, before getting up and prying Zacky's arms from around my legs.

"Remind me next time I pass out here to friggin fall asleep on his stomach, Jesus, does he do that all the time?!"

"Usually to Johnny or Jimmy," He laughed. "I think he likes skinny legs."

"I think you're out of your bird!" I laughed, as I walked out of the living room and into the hall to use the bathroom.

When I returned minutes later Zacky had moved from where my legs previously were to my spot next to Brian; lovely.

"You two make such an adorable couple, ya know that?"

"So I've been told," He laughed. "Apparently it's got something to do with guitar gods."

"Don't be so full of yourself mister Haner; I'm pretty sure I could put those hands to good use on something other than your guitar."

He laughed and got up off the floor, leaving Zacky to spread himself out even more. I swear that boy could sleep all day, go to bed when it's dark and wake up when it's dark.

"Wait, where ya goin?" Brian called after me as I walked into the kitchen. "What about my hands?"

"What about em?"

"That…that thing about putting them to good use."

"You wanna put those hands to use?" I asked, turning around from the counter and putting all my weight on him. He nodded and leaned down, capturing my lips in a small kiss before letting his hands rest on my waist.

"So what about it then?" He asked, slowly running his hands up my sides and down my back.

"Your sink is full of dirty dishes," I smiled, turning around in Brian's arms back to the coffee pot. "Use your hands and wash them."

He tightened his grip around my waist and buried his head in my shoulder, blowing a small raspberry on my neck.

"Bri stop, that tickles!" I laughed.

"Why do I have to wash the dishes?" He asked, blowing again on my neck.

"Because that's filthy!" I half laughed, half shouted, trying to be stern.

"Well, I'm a dirty boy, deal with it."

"I just might have to then." I whispered, turning back around and putting my arms around his neck.

He pulled me in closer and placed his lips on mine, pushing my lips apart with his tongue. We stood there, leaning against the counter exploring each other's mouths, our hands roaming everywhere we could reach.

"Brian," I sighed into his lips.

"Hmm, let's go upstairs."

I nodded furiously, grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards the entrance to the kitchen, not looking where I was going. Before I could make it out of the entryway I felt another body crash behind me, and I turned around faster than I could say ouch, and came face to face with Jimmy, who now seemed to be awake from his spot on the couch.

"Oh, please don't stop on account of me." He laughed.

"Jimmy, how long were you standing there?" I questioned, fearing the answer.

"Well, I saw you making coffee and Brian trying to hide in your neck, and then something about doing dishes and-"

"JIMMY!" Brian shouted. "Just, how long were you there for?"

"Long enough to hear how much of a dirty boy you are dude!"

Jimmy erupted into full blown laughter, and I just stared at him turning about the color or a tomato, while Brian looked about the same.

"Jim that was mean." I said pouting.

"You two are so entertaining when you get all wrapped up in each other though, I couldn't help but watch."

"Why don't you just go home to Leanna then?" Brian asked.

"Because Leanna doesn't go for it early in the morning dude, but apparently you two do!" He said, laughing again.

"What, were you gonna follow us into the bedroom?"

"No, but I probably would have woken Zacky up and we could have listened at the door together."

"You're disgusting," I laughed. "You and Zacky, because I have no doubts that he would have turned down your offer."

~later that day~

After our little episode in the kitchen, everyone eventually piled into the house to start the day. Matt and Val showed up around noon, while my brother showed up at two, hung over beyond belief.

"Dude, I really don't need you throwing up all over my house dude."

"I'm not partial to puking, but I'm actually less partial to you fucking my sister, so you can't have both man."

"Johnny!" I scolded. "You're a jerk!"

"Gina, c'mon I was seriously kidding, I'm really happy for you."

"Well I'm glad I have your blessing dad." I joked, jumping on Brian's lap while he was talking to Zacky.

"Oof! Christ woman, you're strong!"

"Yes dear, I'm a wrestler, it's in my contract to be strong," I laughed. "I could probably work out just as hard as you guys do, if not harder."

"Gina, don't put your money where your mouth is," Val laughed. "These jerks have push-up contests all the friggin time!"

"All the more fun for me then!" I grinned.

Matt looked at me funny, and then back to Brian who was sitting on the couch, mouth slightly open with a shocked look on his face.

"Which rock star will it be?"

I looked around and Zacky got off the couch and looked at me.

"You're going down Gina," he laughed. "I beat your brother and I will beat you!"

"Ok Zacky, let's do this," I smiled. "Would you rather see who can do more or for how long?"

"Uh, well let's see who can go for longer."

"You said it then."

I got off Brian's lap and got down on the floor across from Zacky and looked up to meet his gaze. He tried to give me a menacing look and growled a little, which only made me laugh that much more.

"Ready?" Val said.

I nodded and so did Zacky, who felt the need to stick his tongue out at me in the process. Typical guy, let me tell you.

"Go at it then." Val laughed, then stepped back next to Matt to watch me kick Zacky's but in pushups.

A half an hour later we were still going at it and by the look on Zacky's face, he looked like he was getting ready to give up.

"What's the matter Zacky?" I asked, chuckling slightly.

"Nothing, I'm peachy-fucking-keen," he grunted. "You?"

"Never been better, but you look like your hurting."

"Not hurting, but I seriously have to piss."

"Oh well, sucks to be you now doesn't it."

"How the hell are you related to Johnny, you're nothing like him."

"I ask myself the same question all the time, I guess I just got the brains out of the two of us."

"Hey! Watch what you say around me, my ears are sensitive!" Johnny exclaimed out of no where.

"Sensitive my ass Johnny, you're about as sensitive as a rushing bull!"

"Ouch, burn." Laughed Brian, who was still on the same couch as before, only sprawled out with his feet in Jimmy's lap.

"C'mon Vengeance, quit."

"I'd rather loose to your brother than to you." He laughed.

"Why, because I'm a chick?"

"That's a little on the sexist side don't you think?"

"Why would a comment about being a girl insult my brother?" I said in all seriousness.

As soon as the words left my mouth Zacky collapsed onto the floor in a fit of laughter.

"I knew it!" I shouted. "You're good Zacky, but not that good."

"Ouch, I think my arm's are gonna fall off!"

"Oh stop, take an aspirin or something."

"That's my girl," Brian laughed, pulling me down on the couch. "I knew the second you stepped up you we're going down Zack."

Funny thing I thought he could beat me, and I might have let him but the look on his face when I said that, and watching him fall face down on the floor was enough to make my day complete. I had only been home for a little over a month and with the way things were going I knew I had found something special. And by special I didn't just mean Brian, but my entire group of friends.


	6. Chapter 06: Hollywood's Not America

Chapter 6- Hollywood's Not America

If anyone would have told me how fast my time off would go, I don't think I would have believed them. It probably had something to do with the new family I had, and all the memories I would walk away with.

I was packing my stuff to fly to New York for a photo shoot with two of the other divas that I worked with, Amy and Trish. Even though I still had around two months left back in Huntington, it was starting to show on everyone's faces that I was going to be missed; especially Brian's.

"So what exactly are you gonna have to do?" Val asked me as she helped me pack.

"To be honest they haven't told me a damn thing yet," I laughed. "But it is New York so the possibilities could be endless."

"Why is it just the three of you, I mean there are other divas, right?"

"Oh yea, there's tons of other girls," I said dryly. "But for some reason they wanna shoot the three of us because we're the 'toughest girls they have.'" I said, dryly mocking the person from creative development that had called me last week.

"How's Brian dealing with all this?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up from my spot on the floor where I was searching for a pair of shoes.

"You going back to work and all." She said, taking a seat on the bed.

"He's mentioned it a few times, and I think he's upset about it, but I mean so am I," I chuckled. "But I don't think there's anything stopping us from being together cause at one point or another the new album is gonna be out and he's gonna be on the road too."

"Exactly, I mean technically your job's are one in the same."

"Tell me about it," I laughed. "But he's definitely excited to come with me for the shoot."

"Oh jeez, he's going?!" She half laughed half shouted.

"Yesm, he said he wanted to see what I did when I wasn't beating people up in the ring."

"And what did you tell him?" She asked anxiously.

"That all the girls at the shoots had big orgies."

"You didn't!" She laughed, falling back on the bed.

"He had something of the same reaction," I laughed. "But really we just get all dolled up to match our on screen personas, and take like a million pictures."

"You all have a different on screen personality?"

"Oh yea, Trish is the diva that's got enough class to last a lifetime but if you get her angry she wont hesitate to kick you square in the ass; but Amy and I are like one in the same, like fishnets and baggy cargo pants."

"You like things loud, I've known that since we were kids."

"Oh yea, the more outgoing and relaxed I look when I get in the ring the better I feel," I said. "I don't think I could wrestle wearing half the shit some of these new girls are coming in with."

"Some of them are a little skimpy on the clothing then?"

"Some of them hardly wear enough clothes to go out in public," I sighed. "Yet they make some of the guys heads turn so fast they get whiplash!"

"Oh god, those kinda girls then?"

"Those kinda girls." I nodded, throwing a pair of newly resurfaced shoes up on the bed.

Our plane landed in New York sometime during the night, and I stumbled out into the airport leaning on Brian for support. All I wanted to do at this point was get our bags and head to the hotel, and try and squeeze in a few hours of sleep before creative came knocking on the door at the ass crack of dawn for the shoot.

"C'mon babe, let's get the bags and go find the hotel." I looked up at Brian who had stopped walking for a moment and pulled my body flush against his. His brown eyes that were usually full of life and excitement had dulled down with exhaustion and his face looked tired and faded of color. I couldn't thank him enough for coming with me on what could only ensue as a dreadful few days filled with a never ending supply of makeup, tight clothes and extremely high heels.

"We need to get there, like now," I chuckled. "I'll be running on five or six hours of sleep max tomorrow."

"I know, damn jet lag takes a lot out of ya."

"It definitely does, so let's get there quick, ok?"

"You got it princess."

We made our way to the baggage claim and stood somewhat impatiently, waiting for our bags to come around the carousel. I subconsciously rubbed what little life I had left from my eyes before resting my head on Brian's arm and sighing deeply. The bags on the carousel seemed to move in slow motion, until I finally saw Brian's black duffle bag followed by my black duffle with pink stripes. In one swift motion he grabbed both with his free hand, while the other remained entwined with mine.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." He looked down at me with tired eyes and I nodded my response as he led me away from the baggage claim.

We made our way to the exit and quickly found the car we had rented the day before. Brian threw the bags in the trunk and got in the car, almost speeding off to the hotel, way to eager for sleep. We fought the typical New York City traffic, and made it to the hotel at around midnight, completely ready to just check in and crash in the room.

The hotel was one of those fancy pants places that all the rich snobs stay at while they're sight seeing or shopping until their hearts content. The man behind the counter made a disgusted face when he saw Brian and me approaching, but at this point why should we care? We had enough money between the two of us to last this guy ten lifetimes. But he didn't have to know that.

"Can I help you?"

"Yea, I'd like to check in please."

"Well, do you have a reservation?" He asked snootily.

"Yea, I'm with the World Wrestling Entertainment, my name is Gina Seward."

"Oh, my apologies Miss Seward," He said, catching himself from making a total ass of himself. "Room 2015, enjoy your stay!"

"Thank you."

I gave him a quick smile before taking the key card off the marble counter and starting towards the elevator. As we passed the hotel's restaurant and bar, I saw a flash of blonde and red before I was unceremoniously pushed past Brian and onto the floor. I only knew two people who would do that, Trish and Amy.

"Push me down a little harder next time why don't ya!" I grunted, getting up and dusting off my black dickies.

"Gina! It's been like five months since we've seen you," Trish shouted, causing Brian to give us a look. "Who told you to disappear across the freaking country?"

"I went home." I laughed.

"To California?" She stressed. "Why?!"

"Because it's where my home is." I laughed.

Amy suddenly pushed past Trish in an attempt to greet me, but was mauled over by her boyfriend Matt and Trish's boyfriend Chris, both of whom I worked with.

"Jesus Canada, calm down!" Matt laughed.

"Oh stop, I missed you all too and you know it, but right now me and Brian are going upstairs and going to bed."

"Who's Brian?" Amy asked coyly.

"Well, he's the big tall tattooed hunk of man standing next to me who I love dearly."

I looked up and sent Brian a smile and he pulled me closer to him.

"She's taken, wait till the websites and tabloids hear this," Chris laughed. "They'll have a ball."

"Let them," I laughed. "We're going to bed, good night assclows!"

I sent them a wave as we headed towards the elevators and waited for the doors to open. Once we were inside the safety of the elevator, I took the moment to lean against the wall and recollect myself.

"They seem, nice?" Brian offered.

"They're great," I laughed. "But they were drunk, definitely drunk."

"I gathered that," He laughed. "There is a shoot tomorrow, right?"

"Yea, those two are gonna be hurting in the morning."

Brian laughed and pulled me out of the elevator and down the hall towards the room, where he eagerly opened the door and threw the bags down on the floor.

"This room is niiice." He stressed, walking around and taking in the many amenities the room held for us.

"Oh yea, creative definitely went all out for this one," I laughed. "We only get rooms like this when we shoot in the islands or something."

"That must be nice, like a room over looking the water and the beach."

"Most of the time I'm in there I'm asleep though," I laughed. "Not much time to really enjoy it."

"Well, what if one day we go there," Brian said, coming over from his bag and wrapping his arms around me while I unpacked some of my stuff. "Just you and me, and all the beach you could dream of."

"I think that would be amazing," I said, turning around in his arms and laying a lazy kiss on his lips. "But right now I'm about ready for bed."

"I'm right behind ya." He laughed.

The next morning the sounds of my cell phone ringing combined with the knocking at the door brought me out of my sleep. I quietly slipped out of Brian's arms without waking him up, and grabbed my phone and headed for the door. By the time I got to the door my phone had stopped ringing, but the knocking persisted, and seemed to be getting louder. When I opened the door I saw Amy standing outside with Matt, both looking exhausted as all hell, as well as hung over.

"Morning guys," I greeted, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "What's up?"

"Creative knocked on my door two hours ago," Amy said, leaning against Matt for support. "Can we come in?"

"Uh, Brian's still sleeping but if you're quiet ill put up some coffee and we can sit for a while." I said, looking at my phone for the first time and noting that it was nine in the morning.

They both nodded and followed me into the room and towards the kitchen area, where I proceeded to put up a pot of coffee.

"So, what's the deal with the shoot?" I asked.

"Well, fuck if I know, cause it's today but something got fucked up," Amy stressed, putting her head down on the counter. "So after I had been up for half an hour creative called me back and said that it was pushed back a few hours."

"So you felt the need to come wake me up?" I laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less from the two of you."

"Oh stop," Amy said, sitting up straight and swatting playfully at my shoulder. "So, tell me about Brian."

I grinned involuntarily at the mention of his name and got "the look" from Amy.

"I met him at one of my brother's wild and crazy parties," I said laughing. "He was like staring down an empty beer bottle and I couldn't take my eyes off him."

"Was he single when you met?"

"Yea, Val made me go talk to him cause she knows exactly how to spot when your swooning over someone." I laughed.

"She seems to have a knack for that." Brian's voice sounded from the kitchen entryway.

I looked up to see him standing in a pair of gym shorts and an old avenged tee shirt, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Did we wake you up?" I asked, walking over to him and giving him a kiss.

"No, I smelled the coffee, you know how I am with that shit." He laughed.

I couldn't help but laugh as Brian staggered over toward the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, before joining the rest of us at the small table.

"So, what time is the shoot?" He asked.

"We don't know," Amy answered. "They woke me up at 7 and then said it got pushed back so we came here."

"They came and woke me up." I said, faking a bitter tone in my voice.

"Oh stop, they would have came and knocked down your door eventually," She laughed. "Besides, I wanted to meet the infamous Brian."

Brian let out a throaty chuckle at that and took another sip of coffee before speaking.

"Well, last night you were a little 'woo'." He said.

"Yes, Gina never fails to remind me of when I get drunk," She laughed. "Like my mother I swear it."

"Now you sound like my brother."

The four of us burst out laughing, knowing that my brother would accuse me of being as bad as our mother.

The rest of the morning continued on the same, mindless chatter about work and the shoot, and Amy and Matt getting to know Brian a little better.

We arrived at the shoot around noon, and the three of us were immediately thrust into hair and makeup, while people kept shoving a ton of different outfits down our throats.

"Ok, look I'll pick some stuff when I'm done, just, stop sticking them in my face ok."

The guy looked at me like I had ten heads and walked away, carrying the different tops and pants with him.

"I hate when they do that." Trish sighed, shaking her head.

A few minutes later the guys came into the room to sit with us, all three of them eating something, something we didn't get the pleasure of doing while at a shoot.

"I feel like I've been in this chair for two hours already," I sighed, looking at Brian. "I'm like ready to go home."

"I'm sorry babe, but look on the bright side; you're with your friends."

I nodded and smiled as the woman attacked me with a powder brush, sending me into a sneezing fit. This caused everyone in the room to laugh at me, and the woman to apologize profusely.

An hour later we were finally getting dressed and ready to get this shoot on the road. I had chosen a pair of denim jeans that sat low on my hips, and a bright pink tank top, with a back fishnet top underneath it. Amy had chosen something similar to mine, only she was wearing black cargo's and a blue top, and her top showed off less of her stomach than mine did. Trish was wearing low rise black pants that hugged her ever curve and a white belly shirt that criss crossed in every direction across her stomach and back.

"Ladies, you look lovely." The photographer said as we walked out of the building.

"Why are we outside?" Brian whispered to me.

"Fuck if I know." I laughed back.

"Ok ladies, the idea of this shoot is to capture you in the pure element of Manhattan," The photographer said. "So with that being said we're going to be on location."

"Define 'on location'." Trish said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"All around the city and such."

I scowled at that, annoyed at the fact that I would have to be walking around the city in the blistering heat of summer, dressed up like I was getting ready to perform, while attempting capturing the element of the city.

"How far on location do you plan on dragging these girls?" Chris said, speaking up for the first time.

"Just around the city, over to the Brooklyn bridge and-"

"Excuse me?!" I shouted, cutting the guy off as abruptly as possible.

"This is a location shoot, ok?" He said getting annoyed.

"I signed on to take pictures, if you wanna do this outside that's perfectly fine, but I refuse to walk across the god damned burrow so you can take my picture on the Brooklyn bridge!"

My outburst was the final straw for the guy, and we then decided that we would take pictures outside the studio, which was a few blocks from time square. I didn't have a problem with that at all because we took a cab to the middle of times square, and when we got out, the photographer decided he wanted me to stand on the cab.

"Gina that's amazing, can you like pose on it or something?" The photographer asked.

"Sure, no problem."

I stood tall on the cab with one foot on the hood of the car while the other rested between the glass of the windshield and the top of the car. As weird as it might have looked to someone walking down the street, I knew it was going to be an amazing shot. I looked over to where the boys were standing and caught Brian's gaze for a few seconds and sent him a smile, which he graciously returned. Now all I wanted to do was go back home with Brian and not have to worry about work for another two months.


	7. Chapter 07: Clumsy

Chapter 7- Clumsy

The minute we walked through the door of my house I was met with the scent of barbeque, definitely not something that you often smell in my house. I sent Brian a questioning glance and he gave me the same look, wandering farther into the house. I followed him, quickly noting the beer bottles tossed aimlessly around the living room and kitchen, only one person could be behind this and it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure it out...Johnny!

"I will kill your bass player," I said, looking at Brian and pointing my finger up in his general direction. "Don't think I won't."

"Then Matt might have to kill you." He laughed.

"Bri, my house is trashed," I said, serious for the first time since I walked in. "And the little shit is outside having a cookout!" I said, catching a glimpse of my brother standing outside by the grill; drinking yet another beer.

"Yea, not good."

I shook my head as I kicked a few empty cans to the side and started towards the kitchen to survey the damage. There were empty dishes piled high in the sink and empty as well as full cans scattered around the counters and table.

"Ah, that's gross!"

I turned around and Brian had stuck his hand into what looked like an old sandwich, or at least I had hoped that's what it was.

"He's a dead man, I'm telling you."

Brian nodded and followed me into the backyard, where Johnny was standing at the grill with a beer and was cooking something. Sitting around in all the chairs were the rest of the band, Val and Leanna.

"You are so dead." I heard Val say, when she saw me standing in the doorway.

"What are you talking about Val?"

"Johnny, you're in deep shit!" I practically yelled.

"Gina! When did you get home?"

"Um well I'd say about ten minutes ago but it took me a while cause I had to travel through the disgusting mess in my house."

"I'm sorry?" He managed to squeak out.

"Oh you're more than sorry," I laughed. "For now we can finish the little fiesta but tomorrow morning you my dear brother, are cleaning this house."

"But-"

"No but's Johnny, you made this mess you're cleaning it up."

He looked at me with a sheepish expression for a few seconds before answering me, and almost sending me over on my ass from laughing so hard.

"Ok mom, I'm sure you heard that from Amy a few times last week."

"I did, mostly from talking about you." I laughed.

We sat around the rest of the day drinking beer and just relaxing in the warm California sun, and enjoying each other's company. In the back of my mind I knew I would have to give all this up in a few weeks and go back to my routine life of working out, doing shows and cashing in random hotels; all in that order. I was gonna miss my random girl days with Val and Leanna, and constantly being around my brother, as much as it pained me to think that. It took a lot out of me when I thought about leaving Brian, almost like someone had pushed me down and knocked all the air out of me.

By the time it was two in the morning everyone was staggering slowly up the stairs of the house and disappearing into the guest rooms. Matt was carrying my brother upstairs over his shoulder, while Johnny was mumbling something about moving into my house while I was away. I could only shake my head and laugh at him.

"You ready for bed?" Brian asked, coming up behind me and snaking his arms around my waist.

"I guess." I replied, shrugging my shoulders and turning to face him.

"You alright? I'm a little worried about you babe."

"Yea, it just feels like every night we go to bed is a step closer to me going back to work, and I don't like it."

"Babe, don't kid yourself, you love your job."

"No, it's not that," I shook my head. "I don't wanna go back on the road and leave you. Bri it kills me anytime I have to think of something work related because it means I'm a step closer to leaving you here."

"You're really that upset about it, aren't you?"

"I don't wanna go." I said, a few tears escaping my eyes and cascading down my cheeks.

Brian didn't say anything; he just pulled me into a hug and held me there, in the safe confines of his colorful arms. I quietly sobbed into his chest, turning his syn gates shirt into my own personal hankie while he silently held me there, running his hands up and down my back.

"I don't want you to go either." He said after a few minutes.

I carefully moved my head and looked up at him, and saw that he was silently letting a few tears escape his eyes too.

"Brian don't cry, I'm the one that's supposed to do all the crying." I laughed half heartedly.

"I love you Gina," He said after a few more seconds of silence. "I love you so much."

It had taken us five months into our relationship for one of us to say those words, and now that he finally had it was making me want to stay even more than I already did.

"I love you too Brian," I said placing a kiss on his lips. "More than you could even know."

Brian swiftly picked me up and carried me through the living room and up the stairs. Once we reached the top he pushed my bedroom door open and quickly shut it with his foot. He carried me over to the bed and put me down, before lying down with me and continuing the kiss I had started in the living room.

"What are you doing?" I said, smiling into the kiss.

"Showing you how much I love you." He smiled back.

He leaned in and captured my lips in another kiss and proceeded to lay me down on the bed, and move over me. Our hands could be felt roaming over each other's bodies as if we had never seen or touched another human before. When it came down to just me and Brian the electricity seemed to be flowing through the both of us, making the room warmer than it had seemed a few seconds ago.

"Brian…"

He continued his assault on my lips as his hands moved from my waist to my chest, and he began teasing my breasts; giving them both equal attention.

"I've never meant anything more in my entire life."

"I love you, regardless of where I am or where we're traveling you have my heart Brian Haner; you always will."

With that he pressed his lips to mine and took my body with his, sealing the fate that was our love.


	8. Chapter 08: Disintegration

Chapter 8: Disintegration

I took one last look around the bedroom, making sure I didn't forget to pack anything, and walked out closing the door behind me. Brian was waiting in the living room for me, sitting on the couch with his fedora clad head in his hands.

"What's wrong babe?"

He looked up at the sound of my voice, quickly running his thumb under his eyes and standing up.

"Brian, were you crying?"

"No, I just got something in my eyes." He said, virtually lying through

his teeth.

"Was it dust?" I said, chuckling a bit as I sat down on the couch and watched him follow.

"Yea, it was dust."

"Sweetie, you don't have to be ashamed to cry or anything, at least not in front of me; ok?"

He looked up at me and nodded, before pulling me into his lap and crushing me in an enormous hug. I buried my head into his shoulder and inhaled the familiar scent that was Brian. Cigarettes and axe.

"Do you really have to go?" He asked, holding me tighter.

I sighed for a moment, hesitating a little before answering him.

"Yea, I really have to go." This time, the tears silently fell from my eyes.

"Why?" He asked, looking up at me with an all too childish manner gleaming in his eyes.

"Because." I smiled back, using the same childish games.

"Because why?" He was starting to play along, and I almost forgot about the plane I had to catch in a few hours.

"'Cause I have a job to do, and if I stay home any longer they're gonna fire my ass." I said, laughing.

"If it means you didn't have to leave me I wouldn't mind them firing you." He laughed.

I laughed with him for a few seconds, before the sound of the phone ringing on the coffee table interrupted us. I looked at the caller i.d. and saw my brothers name pop up. I quickly put the phone on speaker and answered him.

"Hey Johnny."

"Yo, you done packing yet? I ordered some pizzas and everyone's over here waiting for you two!"

"Yea, I'm just giving the house a once over before I lock up."

"Ok sounds good," He said. "Oh by the way we're coming with you to the airport."

"Like I have much of a choice." I laughed.

"I'll see you in a few."

"Ok, later."

He hung up and I did the same, quickly burying my head in Brian's shoulder once again.

"I lied; I don't want me to go either."

"I told you!" He laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist and standing from the couch.

"But, I'll be home soon." I said smiling, wrapping my legs around his waist for support.

"How soon is soon?"

"A few weeks, maybe a month," I said. "I'm not exactly sure yet."

"Well it's better than nothing I guess."

"This is true." I nodded.

Brian pulled me in for another kiss, and I squished myself closer to him and tightened my arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna miss that." I said, laying another kiss on his lips.

"Me too," He said, running his fingers through my hair. "I'm gonna miss your kisses, and your squishy little hugs."

I laughed and squished into him again, wrapping myself tighter around his body.

"What else are you gonna miss?"

"Your smile, and your eyes, and the way your hands get lost in mine-"

"You mean the way your big ass hands kidnap mine." I laughed.

"Right, that and the way you yell at Johnny; cause no one yells at him quite like you."

"Oh alright, moving on!"

"I'm going to miss waking up with you in my huge ass bed, it's so empty when you're not in it with me."

"I'm gonna miss that too, especially the way my head always seems to find its way into that little crook in your neck when the sun starts shining through the blinds."

Brian suddenly sat down on the couch, and just held me in his lap. I didn't want to let go of him, and I didn't think I was ready to, and I didn't want to. It finally hit me that I was going back to work and leaving the most important people in my life behind. Granted they would start recording in a few months and then be on tour again, but they would all be going off together. I would be the only one that was away from everyone, and the thought of leaving the seven most important people in my life behind while I went off and chased a dream all alone, didn't make it that much of a dream anymore. Especially when you didn't have your family to help you along the way.

"What are you thinking?" I asked him suddenly.

"That I don't think I'm gonna be able to let you go."

"I feel the same way."

I let a few silent tears snake their way down my cheeks before I started sobbing into Brian's shoulder. It's ironic how when I met him he was miserable because he was alone and now we were both crying because love was ripping us apart from each other.

"I love you." He said, wiping the tears from my cheeks with his thumb.

"I love you too." I said, wiping his tears away.

The airport was absolutely jam packed full of people when we got there. It didn't help matters much that there were seven of us, and only one of us was getting on the plane.

"So where are you meeting up with everyone?" Val asked.

"They're in New York right now," I said, giving her a glance that said I didn't wanna go there. "And we're gonna be there for the next week and some change before we head down the east coast."

"Well, promise me you won't wear yourself down, ok?"

"I promise, and promise me that you'll have your phone on all the time, ok?"

"You got it." She said, hugging me tightly, before trying to suppress a sob.

"Oh Val, don't cry," I laughed. "I'm not going to war I'm going back on the road!"

"I know, but this was the longest you've been home in a really long time and it's gonna be so different without you around now!"

"I know, trust me I can't talk to any of the other girls about half the stuff I talk to you about, and that includes Amy and Trish."

"Well I'm glad to know I'm your number one gossip outlet." She smiled.

I hugged her one more time, before being engulfed in a bear hug from Matt.

"Take care of yourself, you hear me?"

"Yes daddy." I laughed.

"And do some major ass kicking, trust me we're gonna watch every Monday night."

"Your ass better watch every Monday night, and it better be before Zacky breaks out the Jack and coke." I laughed, while Zacky looked down at his shoes sheepishly.

"C'mere Zee, I need to give my favorite lefty a hug goodbye."

"I'm your favorite lefty?"

"Of course you are doll." I laughed.

"Well, it makes me unique."

"Sure does," I smiled, hugging him. "Who else am I gonna beat in pushups?"

"I'm sure some of those skinny bitches you work with."

"Be good Zacky," I said, hugging him a last time. "And do me a favor, ok. Make sure Brian doesn't get all mopey and whatnot. Look after him, please."

"Will do Gina, I promise."

"And you, Mister Sullivan!" I said, pointing at Jimmy, who was playing with the barbell in his lip.

"What about me?" He laughed.

"Keep out of trouble, that includes spying on people when they're about to do the deed, ya got me?"

"It was once, my god Gina!"

"I saw you peeking out of the bathroom in my hallway last weekend, and I'm not sure if it was before or after you puked in it."

"I don't remember either, but I'll spy on Matt and Val while you're away." He said, coming over and hugging me tightly.

"And what about me?"

I looked at my brother, who was standing with his hat on backwards and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, because even the light in the airport seemed to be too much for his hangover.

"Don't turn into an alcoholic while I'm away, ok?" I laughed.

"That's it? That's a lot to ask of a man of my stature Gina."

"Oh I'm sure it is," I said, dripping with sarcasm. "Oh and stay out of my house, fridge and liquor cabinet while I'm away." I laughed.

"Again, I find you worse than our mother; but I love you more."

"Thanks Johnny, for everything. I'm glad you like my house better than yours but buy your own food shorty."

"I'll try, but Val won't go shopping with me."

"Take Brian with you, I'm sure he'll need something to stay busy with while I'm away."

Johnny pulled me into a big hug, and held me there for a while. He was a good kid, and even though he wasn't much of a kid, he was always my kid brother.

"Love you Gina."

"Love you too, Johnny."

I looked past Johnny and saw Brian playing with the hem on his shirt. For a twenty five year old man, covered in tattoos and a few piercings, he looked like a child, scared and alone.

"I love you," I said, placing my hands on his arms. "And I promise that no matter what happens, I'm yours Brian Haner."

"I love you too; you're the most amazing person to ever step foot in my life and I'll count down the days until your home again."

"Good, because I'll count them down too."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to momentarily lift me from the ground. I inhaled his scent one last time, before kissing his lips softly.

"Love you."

"Love you more." I said, lightly chuckling.

"You're gonna miss the flight." He laughed.

"That would be a good thing," I smiled. "But right, I'm gonna get on the plane, before I lose my nerve and go back to the car."

I turned to face everyone and mustered the best smile I could, and before I could turn back or lose my guts, I grabbed my bag from the floor.

"Bye guys, be good ok?"

"You too!" Val said. "Call us when you get there ok, we're gonna be at Johnny's."

"We are?" Johnny said, looking at Val with great curiosity.

"Yes, now stop whining."

I laughed, and waved one more time, stopping to blow Brian a kiss, before I walked through the gate and onto the plane leaving everyone behind. I was officially miserable.


	9. Chapter 09: So What!

Chapter 9- So What?!

I had spent the entire day so far lying on the couch in the locker room that I shared with Amy and Trish. I couldn't bring myself to do much of anything today except workout and perform. Being away from Brian on his birthday was killing me, and as much as I had been coping while I was back, I subconsciously knew that today would put me through the wringer, and take me to hell and back before I was able to wake up tomorrow morning in one piece again.

"Gina, are you ok sweetie?"

"Hmm." Was the only reply I could muster as I looked up and saw Trish walk farther into the room followed by Chris and Matt.

"Hey, Gina what's wrong with you today?" Matt asked.

I didn't answer, only ran my hands through my hair and down my face before letting out an exasperated sigh. When I looked up Amy and Trish were hovering over me and the boys were sitting on the floor leaning up against the lockers.

"Sweetie, you got to tell us what's wrong." Amy coaxed.

"I'm here, that's what's wrong," I sighed. "I'm here and not with Brian on his birthday!"

"Today's his birthday?" Amy asked, looking at me with sad eyes and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yea, he's 26 today and instead of being home and doing something special like making him a cake I know he won't eat, or going out to the beach with everyone for a bon fire, or taking that cake and having a food fight, or," I paused for a second to look at the girls before continuing my speech; taking a deep breath and finishing. "Or even having sex, sex that I know would be so mind blowing because it's his birthday!" I laughed, saying the last part.

"You would!" Chris yelled from the floor.

"Alright that's enough of that," Trish laughed. "Girlie I know you wanna be with Brian, believe me I understand, but we all have a job to do and we all want to be home with our families at the same time."

"I know, and I love my job, more than I could ever imagine, but I love him too!"

"I know sweetie," Amy said, sitting down next to me. "I know how it feels to be in love, I mean I love Matt and that takes a whole lot of love."

I chuckled at that and looked over to Matt, whose head had suddenly snapped up from the game he was playing on his phone.

"I resent that!" He pouted.

"She's making a statement you ass," Chris groaned. "Just go with it."

"I know what you guys mean, and I appreciate it a lot." I smiled.

"Anytime sweets, anytime." Trish smiled, leaning over to give me a hug.

"Alrighty boys, time to scoot," Amy said while pushing them out the door. "We all have to get ready for our match."

They left with groans of protest, and made their way to their own locker room to prepare for their own matches.

I knew what the girls were telling me was right but in my heart of hearts I knew I was in the wrong place. I couldn't necessarily leave right this moment, but I did know that I could catch a late flight out of Florida after my match and see Brian for the last few hours of his birthday. I knew he and everyone else would be watching my tag match with Amy against Trish and Candace, and I wanted to do something special for him before I got into the ring.

"Hey I'm gonna call Brian real quick before the match, you guys wanna say happy birthday?" I yelled into the bathroom area.

"Yea, sure!" Amy yelled back.

I quickly dialed his number and put it on speaker phone, waiting for him to answer.

i"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey birthday boy!" I answered, a smile forming on my lips.

"Hey baby! Aren't you supposed to have a match soon?"

"Yea, in about fifteen minutes, the girls are just finishing up and I wanted to give you a call before Trish kicked my ass."

"Well I love your ass so I hope she doesn't kick it too hard." He laughed.

"Don't worry Brian I wont!" Trish yelled into the phone.

"Hi Trish!" He laughed.

"Hello there Brian!" She shouted back

"Right." I laughed. "Well Trish and Amy wanted talk to you for a second."

"Alright, let's hear it girls." He chuckled.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!" They both shouted at the same time.

"Now that I'm deaf, thanks girls." He chuckled.

"Ok sweetie, we're gonna head towards the ring, you better be watching."

"We are, don't worry."

"Great!" I smiled. "I'm going to finish up here so I'll call you later."

"I love you Gina."

"I love you too Bri." /i

I hung up and put my phone back in my duffle bag before doing a double check on my ring gear and makeup. When I was sure I was ready I met Amy and Trish at the door and we made our way to the curtain for our match.

"You girls ready?" Trish asked.

"Always." I answered.

"Of course." Amy replied.

"Alright, let's do this," Trish smiled. "See you out there!"

She gave us one last smile and disappeared through the curtains as soon as her music began booming through out the arena. From the small monitor in the backstage area I could see her warming the crowd up and doing her usual pre match warm-up, helping Candace out in her lack of ring presence since she was fairly new. She was bouncing from every rope and pointing out into the crowd, giving them something to cheer about.

"You ladies ready?" One of the stagehands asked us?

We both nodded and proceeded to make our way to the edge of the curtain. My music boomed out of the speakers and I heard the crowd go wild. I made my way down to the ring making sure to point to people and run along the floor seats, slightly catching Amy out of the corner of my eye doing the same. I climbed into the ring and jumped up onto the top rope, throwing my arms up into the rock on sign, and giving the cameras a clear view of my new deathbat tattoo under my right arm. I knew everyone at home would see it too.

I quickly jumped down and settled into mine and Amy's corner of the ring. The bell rang and Amy ran out to meet Candace in the middle of the ring. She made quick work of the new comer and tagged me into the match to take Trish out. She gave me a subtle grin and began beating up on me. She continued throwing me down and kicking me before I got the chance to get up. When I finally did get up I quickly threw her into the opposite corner of the ring and then threw my body into hers, giving the illusion that I took all the air out of her. She quickly got back up and made a clear kick at my jaw, and instead of hitting my shoulder like she was supposed to, she lost her footing and kicked me square in the jaw. I stumbled back a few steps before landing on my ass, and making a tag to Amy who was leaning over the rope for me. The ref didn't see the tag and kept trying to get Amy out of the ring but instead she gave Trish one hell of a ddt, causing her fall into the center of the ring; and before I knew what I was doing I began going through the motions to end the match. Amy quickly pulled herself out of the ring and I set myself up for a high flying maneuver and landed right on top of Trish's shoulders, who was just standing up. She fell and I made a quick cover; ending the match and declaring me and Amy the winners.

I didn't stick around long in the ring, but made a fast dash to my locker room to change and get my bags together. Amy and Trish bolted into the room after me and saw me changing into jeans and one of Brian's hoodies, while I stuffed my ring gear into my duffle bag and threw the bag over my shoulder.

"Where are you going? What happened out there!" Trish asked.

"I don't know, it was like I wasn't really there." I answered, rummaging through my purse for my wallet and keys.

"So where are you going? We have a plane to catch in the morning to New Orleans!" Amy protested.

"I'm going home," I stated simply, looking between the two of them. "I need to go home."

"I don't see anything good coming from this."

"I don't care," I said looking at her seriously. "I have love waiting for me on the other side of the country and I need to be there, I'll sort things out with work when I decide to come back."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Trish sighed.

"I promise, I'll figure everything out." I smiled, giving them each a hug before walking out of the locker room.

I quickly made my way out of the arena to avoid being stopped by anyone else, and quickly threw my bags into the trunk of my rental car. I started it up and heard the engine purr to life, before stepping on the gas and driving off towards the airport.

Once I was there I bought a ticket for back home and sat to wait, which leaves me where I am now. Sitting in that stiff orange chair sipping on the last little bits of my coffee, waiting for my plane to be called. After a few minutes of waiting and observing the people around me I heard them call my flight. _Flight 732 to Orange County, California is now boarding_. I threw out the rest of my coffee and proceeded to make my way to the gate, and after handing the giddy stewardess my ticket, I found my seat and slumped down in it. In the middle of trying to get comfortable I felt my phone vibrate. I opened it to see a text message from my brother: _be strong =] Johnny._ I smiled and flipped the phone shut, knowing that Amy and Trish had probably called him. I finally relaxed in the seat and put my i-pod on, listening to the soothing sounds of Brian's guitar over Matt's nasally voice. I giggled slightly before drifting off to sleep, remembering exactly why I was leaving one dream and going to get my other.


	10. Chapter 10: I Caught Fire

Chapter 10- I Caught Fire

By the time my plane had landed in California it was ten thirty, and I made a mad dash for the baggage claim to get my stuff. I wasn't sure what my game plan was at this point, so I reached into my purse and pulled out my car keys, knowing my car was sitting in one of the spots in the parking lot. I stood waiting for my bag for another fifteen minutes, begging the carousel to move faster. I wanted to get home before midnight, just so I could say I was with Brian on his birthday. Once I grabbed my duffle off the luggage carousel I quickly turned in my spot and began heading towards the door, but before I could get much farther I was met with two familiar faces standing ten feet away from me.

"Did you really think we were gonna let you have all the fun?"

I was still so surprised that it hadn't completely dawned on me that Amy and Trish were standing in front of me.

"What are you guys?" I started. "How did you guys?"

"Well, apparently there's another plane that gets you there in half the time." Amy chuckled.

"What about work?"

"Shane saw you leave," Trish said. "And after we explained the entire scenario to him he basically told us to go with you, and not to worry he'd deal with his father."

"So I'm golden then, hu?"

"Yup, seems like it." She said.

"Alright then, I need to get out of this god forsaken airport and get home."

"Isn't Brian at his house though?" Amy asked.

"Yea, home is home." I smiled. "So light a fire under your cute little asses and move."

With no other words said between us, the three us of darted out of the airport and ran towards where I parked the car last month when I left. I threw all the bags into the trunk and quickly started the car while Amy and Trish jumped it.

"Amy you ride shotgun, she scares the hell out of me when she drives all crazy." Trish laughed.

"Just get in the car, I need to get out of here!"

I sped in and out of different lanes on PCH, hurrying to get to Brian's house before midnight. It was now eleven fifteen and I was nearly there. I would make it with a half hour to spare, and enough time to wish him a happy birthday. When I finally turned off PCH and onto one of the residential streets I could feel the excitement bubble up inside of me, threatening to spill over at any given moment.

"Breath hun." Amy said as I turned onto Brian's street, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"You did the right thing." Trish said, suddenly surprising the hell out of me.

"I know, I'm just really excited." I smiled, bringing the car to a stop in his driveway.

When I got out of the car I noticed everyone else was still here, and I let an ever bigger smile cross my face.

I grabbed the key Brian had given me out of my bag and walked up the porch and to the front door with the girls following me. I put my hand on the doorknob and checked to see if it was unlocked. It was locked, so I put the key in and turned, suddenly coming face to face with the house I had spent countless days in while I was home. The only difference now is that it was absolutely silent inside. Silent until I heard someone yelling outside on the back porch.

"They're outside," I said, motioning to the back door. "I'm gonna…"

"Hun, just go, we'll wait in here for a while." Trish said, smiling.

I sent them both a quick smile before walking through the living room and into the kitchen, stopping at the sliding glass doors. Everyone was sitting around the fire pit near the pool, and I could see Zacky waving his arms around and yelling at who I assumed was my brother which didn't surprise me in the least. I quietly opened the door and stepped outside, before shutting it and walking towards everyone.

"You're still an asshole!" Zacky yelled.

"I didn't mean it man, it slipped!" He defended.

"The whole bottle of jack just slipped out of your hands?" Matt groaned.

"Johnny, didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to play with other people's liquor?" I asked, listening as the entire group got silent at once.

Everyone's heads snapped up in the direction of my voice, and Val let out the loudest of shrieks I had ever heard in my life.

"Gina?" Johnny asked.

"No, Santa Clause" I chuckled. "Now, who started the party without me?"

Brian immediately jumped up and ran over to me, scooping me up in his arms and pulling me flush against his body. I wrapped my legs around his waist for support and buried my head in his shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of cigarettes and axe; it was my Brian.

"How the hell are you here right now?" He said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I left right after my match," I said, pulling my head up to look at him for a moment. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't believe your really here right now." He smiled.

"I'm here, and I'm not leaving you, so relax." I said, wiping away the lone tear that fell from his eye.

"Thank you." He smiled, leaning in to kiss me for the first time since I had returned. I immediately deepened the kiss and pulled him closer to me, tangling my fingers in his hair.

"Happy birthday!" I smiled back, hugging him close to me again. "Now I need a drink, but apparently we have no jack."

"Thank your brother!" Jimmy shouted, glaring daggers at Johnny.

"Johnny, what am I gonna do with you!"

"You're back five minutes and its like mom is here with us instead!"

In that moment I heard two laughs resound from behind me, and I turned to see Amy and Trish standing a few feet behind us, looking on with interest.

"Now if anyone needs a drink it's us," Trish laughed. "We drove from the airport with speed racer over here, holy shit dude!"

"Yea," Amy chuckled. "Go speed racer go!"

"Oh hush, no one told you two to follow me." I laughed, still in my spot in Brian's arms.

A second later I felt a pair of arms grab me around my waist and hug me. Valary.

"Val, I need to breathe love."

"Yes I know that but this is just the perfect ending to the day, I still can't believe you're here!"

"I can't believe it either," Matt laughed from in front of the fire. "After Trish kicked you in the jaw I thought for sure you'd be out for the count kiddo."

"Did I ever apologize for that?" Trish asked suddenly.

"No, but its ok, I had more important things to worry about." I smiled.

"I still can't believe you're here, I mean I saw your match and now you're here!" Brian exclaimed, pulling me into him once more.

"Yes, I'm here," I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder and looking out at everyone sitting around the fire. My home and family, all in one place, and I was in the arms of the man I loved. The only place I was every truly meant to be.


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

I threw my bag down on the floor and instantly collapsed on the bed. The room was gorgeous, without a doubt perfect; but I was exhausted.

"Didn't I promise you a vacation on an island with all the beach you could dream of?" Brian asked suddenly.

"Yes you did," I smiled. "No doubt that was a year and a half ago, but you promised none the less."

"And, now we're here;" he chuckled. "And I think all this time in the sun is making you lazy my dear."

"Ha! Lazy my ass! I love the beach; you know that."

He laughed and pulled me up off the bed, dragging me out onto the veranda to look over the resort. It was gorgeous; palm trees scattered around the beach, a pool closer to the hotel for the guests, lounge chairs to tan in, and the soft sound of the waves crashing into the shore.

"Was there a reason you pulled me off the bed? I was comfortable and kind of hoping you would come lay down with me." I giggled, winking in his direction.

"I'll lay down with you in a second, but I have to show you something first."

I looked at him with great curiosity and then sat down on his lap, leaning into his broad chest.

"You ever notice how the water looks like one big diamond?" he asked suddenly.

"You mean the way the sun shines on it when it sets?"

"Well, yea; there's that and then the fact that it looks like a real, legitimate diamond."

And suddenly there was a black box with a larger than life diamond shining in front of my eyes.

"Brian…"

"Shh, just listen, ok?"

I nodded as he moved himself from under me and knelt down in front of me.

"Gina, I was in love with you from the minute you sat next to me at that party, and I think I fell harder for you that day in your kitchen. There isn't another person in this world that makes me feel the way you do, and the thought of spending the rest of my life with you is enough to make me the happiest man in the world. I love you more than anything, Gina Seward will you marry me?"

I couldn't say anything, I had lost my voice somewhere along the lines of him telling me how much he loved me. But found myself nodding profusely and throwing my arms around his neck. He pulled me into him and held me there while I let the tears of happiness cascade down my cheeks.

"Babe?"

"Yea? I sniffed.

"Don't you want your ring?" He chuckled.

"Oh! Of course I do!" I giggled.

I watched him slide the gorgeous ring on my finger and I couldn't help but stare at it in complete awe that something that beautiful existed.

"I love you."

"I love you too," I smiled. "I love you so much!"

He hugged me again and began kissing me when I pulled away slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"You do realize this means Johnny is gonna be your brother-in-law, right?"

He only laughed and kissed me again. A kiss that I knew I would never be able to get enough of. A kiss that felt just like heaven.


End file.
